Behind Every Successful Team

"Since I left Lazio, I haven't done much work in training with the players. We have 'active' coaches in Sammy, Brian and Ray so I work with Sven to give my opinion about which players we should play, the organisation of the team and the opponents that we face.

"We have discussions in the office at Soho Square or before and after training when we are together.

"I also keep an eye on what the players are eating. I don't want the players to put on weight when they are together with England. That's not good for the clubs. It's not a problem when we're together for just three days, but in a tournament you need to make sure everything is ok.

"We have a good chef though who makes sure we have low fat food with lots of variety. I think it was Gareth Southgate who said he was losing weight when he was with the national team!"

"He was a very good player - he won the European Cup with Manchester United and went on to play for Arsenal, Manchester City and Everton - and of course he built his reputation as a coach with United. He coached the Neville brothers, Nicky Butt, David Beckham and Paul Scholes every day and I think he looked after them too. Then he went to Leeds and took care of an excellent set of young players there as well.

"When we first came here, The FA wanted us to have English coaches to work with us. We were happy to do that and it has worked very well.

"Brian takes on a lot of the tactical work we do in training. He says he feels at home on the training pitch pitch and the players respond well to him. The sessions he runs might cover anything from set-plays to man-marking. We have a short time to prepare for a game so this work is very important.

"We haven't lost a competitive game during the time that Brian has been working with us."

"It's very clear what he has to do. Ray looks after the goalkeepers with some good sessions before the game. He knows these goalkeepers individually as people which is very important. He knows how to handle them and how to tailor routines to their specific requirements.

"In between the matches, he has contact with the 'keepers to continue to monitor their form and progress.

"Ray played for a great Liverpool team which is important too. He, like Brian [Kidd] and Sammy [Lee] can relate to the players' perspective but mostly they talk about today's football and about what players have to do today.

"As a character, Ray is bouncy. We have a lot of fun together which is good especially when we're at tournaments and staying together for a long time. They say goalkeepers are eccentric but Ray is not a mad person! He's very sensible."

"Sammy is the most enthusiastic person of us all I think. He livens the players up. If we are going out for training on a miserable morning after 5 minutes he will have cheered them up.

"Sammy gets on excellently with everyone. The information that we get from him, and all the staff, about the mood in the camp is important. We need to be as informed as we possibly can.

"He's a coach with Liverpool and his football experience and football knowledge is very good. He has done his Pro-Licence coaching badge with The FA and is very receptive. He is still rather young too so he will go on in his career. I think he could become a manager."

"Dave is the most experienced person we have. He has been a manager at Coventry, Chelsea and, of course, here at Manchester United. He has also been the England Under-21 manager when he worked with Sammy Lee as a player. They are still very close.

"He knows The FA very well too because he's been working for them for a long time.

"Not only is he a very, very nice man and a gentleman, but he is also extremely knowledgeable. When he has something to say, we always listen.

"Most of the players you might ask about he has known for years and he knows their characters as well as their abilities.

"I think the first time I met him was in Portugal when Sven was managing over there and he came to watch a game. That was 20 years ago!"

"He's very relaxed - even when we play an important game like we did in Turkey. He looks like he's relaxed but, I'm not sure he's always that relaxed inside! Anyway his calmness puts the whole group at ease which is vital, particularly in the big games.

"Sven also knows when to delegate. He knows that he can leave things to other people because he is aware he could not and should not be involved in or control everything. Everyone has their responsibilities and they are the best people to do it.

"He's easy to work with. You can have your own opinion and he'll never tell you to shut up. He'll always listen which is good for the atmosphere.

"In our meetings Sven sometimes says 'ok, what's your opinion about this player?' and we are all allowed to speak and to argue for the player that we think should play.

"Of course Sven takes the final decision - and sometimes he takes it very late - but it's good that we have been able to have our input. In the end though, he seems to pick the right team every time!"